A Camping we did go!

This year during Fall break we decided to put the tent we just bought to good use and head out for our first "official" camping trip as a family. (The other 2 times we've gone have been spent sleeping in a cabin, playing pool, and soaking in the hot tub.) This time we "roughed it!"

We don't have too many supplies as of yet (we have only been married for 10 years!) so we borrowed some from Aunt LaRee. (Thank you!) Basically, we took our tent, blow-up mattress, and sleeping bags and clothes, and we used Aunt LaRee's firewood and tarps. We didn't take much at all, but we were LOADED down!

We had SO much fun! I can't wait until our next camping trip!

This picture was taken as we were leaving our neighborhood



We went to Christopher Creek to go camping and here is that famous (not really!) creek! We kept telling all of the kids to stay out of the water, knowing that inevitably someone would fall in. Sure enough, McKade took the plunge- TWICE!

(Evidence of those slippery rocks!)

Daddy and his daughter! After a short hike, we stopped and let the kids play more by the creek. (This was a shallow, slow moving spot.)

Hanging out!

So I went up to the car to get a diaper to change Halli and when I went to come back, I found this tarantula on the top step. Thinking it was fake and that my family was playing a joke, I took another step forward just as it MOVED!!! It climbed down 3 more stairs before Cauley and the kids came running. Cauley calmly grabbed a shovel and picked it up and carried it down the road and up the mountain a long ways. We definitely made sure our tent was zipped up wonderfully after that!

DINNER! We went really easy with roasted hot dogs and chips!

DESSERT!!!

It got pretty chilly! The days were BEAUTIFUL! (around 74 degrees) But once the sun went down, it got cold! Halli had over 4 layers on here!

It was a long night! It got really cold and the kids didn't stay in their sleeping bags at all, which kept us up with them. Halli was up a bunch too, wondering what was going on. I had a rough time- with the whole camping trip that it. My back had been hurting for about 6 days and I could barely move at all without seizing up in pain! Good thing we bought a blow up mattress!

Morning was the chilliest of all! Cauley got up and found us some fire wood so we wouldn't freeze as we ate our poptarts and orange juice! What a hubby- he gave me his sweatshirt as I forgot to grab mine before heading up to the mountains. (Hey- I didn't forget anything else though!)

McKade had the best adventures EVER!

And we succeeded in wearing them ALL out! (about 20 minutes into our drive home)